Perfect World [EN]: Chapter 79

79

‘Alright. I’ve finished cooking, so shall we have a taste? Heh heh.’

His spirit and confidence were completely broken, and even his movements were awkward. The showdown was effectively over. Despite the inherent strength difference, it wouldn’t be properly leveraged given his unsteady posture. Besides, Beomseok was about to activate the ‘Great Will’ [a skill that temporarily boosts stats]. With that, the strength difference would shift to the early to mid-teens, eliminating any chance of him being severely pushed back.

‘Hmm. No, no. It would be good to test the time difference counter attack here.’

Counter attack. In simple terms, it’s a parrying technique. However, Beomseok’s counter attack was far from simple. It was a high-level technique that introduced an unexpected change in speed at the moment of a sword strike, throwing off the opponent’s reaction. He had invested considerable time honing it in his previous game, so he was quite confident. However, he was slightly worried that the ‘Great Will’ characteristic wasn’t providing as much speed change as before, making him question if it would succeed properly.

‘Well. It doesn’t matter. I have to activate the Great Will anyway. I’ll just practice while I’m at it.’

With newfound determination, he rapidly closed the distance with Loria and swung his sword. If he pressured the opponent and took the initiative, the probability of a successful counter attack would increase.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

The weapons collided in rapid succession, scattering metallic sounds that seemed to tear through the air. Beomseok’s quick sword, fueled by his high agility, was enough to fluster Loria, who struggled to concentrate. She was in a state where proper reaction was difficult, as she was constantly checking her movements and posture to avoid revealing her ingrained habits.

“Oh ho. Do you think your habits won’t come out like that!”

“They absolutely won’t! I’m a gladiator who has been active in the Central League for over a decade. I have the ability to self-correct.”

Metallic fragments, heated to extreme temperatures, burst out. It seemed that even steel weapons couldn’t withstand the immense power that exceeded human limits. Before they knew it, their swords were marked with small wounds, and the unique luster of the metal was fading.

Bang! Kwang!

Beomseok’s body slid backward from a chance sword strike by Loria. No matter how defensive she was, Loria’s raw strength couldn’t be ignored. Even he could be struck in a vital spot and incapacitated if he made a mistake. Swordsmanship required skill and technique, but the strength to support it was equally important.

‘Damn, damn. I need to train my stamina quickly and increase my strength. This is dangerous… Tsk.’

It was a dizzying moment, but Beomseok didn’t utter a word or show any sign of weakness. There was no point in boosting the opponent’s morale. He focused his mind and swung his sword, carefully gauging the timing for a counter attack.

Soon, a powerful move came hurtling towards him. It was a strike so fast that its afterimage seemed to linger, but it was also too straightforward to effectively counter. Seizing what he perceived as an opportunity, he stretched out both hands, gripping the sword.

“Great Will!”

– Ding. All of the player’s stats increase by +10.

Clang! Bang!

The tip of the katana, piercing through the heavy two-handed sword, struck the center of Loria’s left shoulder. The impact caused her to lose her balance and stumble backward. Slowly, her left arm drooped, ceasing to move. The physical reaction suit [a suit worn by gladiators to simulate real-world impacts and injuries] was strongly compressing the joint area.

Loria was startled and continued to retreat. Losing the use of one arm meant a severe drop in combat power for her, who relied on a two-handed sword.

“H-How? How could this happen…”

Beomseok walked towards Loria, who stood stiffly, with a sneer. Although the strike landed on her shoulder instead of the chest he aimed for, it was an achievement that would sufficiently distract her.

“What is it? It’s obvious. Don’t make me repeat myself. Just attack.”

However, Loria had no way to deal with him now. She was already struggling with both hands, so what could she do with only one? She’d be lucky to avoid an instant defeat. Soon, Loria, her face hardened, began to run backwards. Although it was embarrassing in front of the fans, she figured it would be more beneficial to run away and deplete his stamina.

‘Oh ho. So that’s what you’re doing. But it’s a useless struggle against me.’

Beomseok chuckled, finding her attempt ridiculous. He had 92 agility, further boosted by +10 with the Great Will. Catching up would be easy, no matter how much she ran. He slowly advanced, cornering her in one area of the arena, and immediately chased after her as she changed direction to the left.

“Kyaaaa!”

Loria, running desperately, was horrified to see him rapidly closing the distance. He was right behind her, his sprint faster than most sprinters. At this rate, she could end up exposing her back in a defenseless state. She stopped and wildly swung her sword.

“Hyah!”

Beomseok, dodging the sword tips flying left and right, gripped the hilt tightly and quickly approached. Loria desperately twisted her body, but it was already too late. The cleverly bent blade of the katana accurately struck and grazed her right thigh. She looked down at her right leg, which was gradually stiffening, and dragged her foot in embarrassment.

“Loria, it’s over!”

He didn’t care about Loria’s plight and struck down hard with his sword. Consideration was a ridiculous notion in a gladiatorial match where victory depended on defeating your opponent.

Clang. Clang.

Loria’s sword was knocked away in all directions by the continuous strikes of the katana. No matter how high her strength, she couldn’t surpass the power of both hands with only one. Moreover, the sword she was holding was a heavy two-handed weapon, and Beomseok was pushing forward with his enhanced power.

After a few clashes, her sword was caught by the katana and sent soaring into the sky. It was immediately bounced away due to the leverage principle of repulsion.

“Ah, no!”

The moment Loria, now empty-handed, hurriedly tried to pull out another sword from her waist, a blue blade swept past her chest. Beomseok wasn’t about to miss such a significant opening. Incapacitated, she fell with a blank look, as if unable to believe she had been so miserably defeated.

Now, with no reason to hesitate, he turned his attention to the main camp where a battle was raging. In this short time, the gladiators of the Great Hyenas were in disarray and nearing annihilation.

“It seems like that side is almost finished too. Loria. Then I’ll ask for your help again in the next round.”

With that, Beomseok quickly ran towards the main camp. His only thought was to end this round quickly and take a break. Running two rounds in a row would be too much for him and the team’s starters. They needed to prepare for the final match with a long rest.

Soon, the Great Hyenas team, ambushed by Beomseok, collapsed in confusion and suffered defeat. With this, Gods Knights had 2 wins. Now, they only needed one more win to advance to the semi-finals.

Wow! Wow!

Only the enthusiastic cheers of the Gods Knights fans echoed in the arena. The Great Hyenas fans, on the other hand, had forgotten to boo and were simply making blank expressions. What could they say, having suffered two losses in the 2nd round? They could only remain silent and pray for a come-from-behind victory from their team.

Beomseok, watching through the dugout’s transparent acrylic partition, smiled and shouted to his teammates.

“Alright! Now we only need 1 win or 2 draws. If we keep playing like this, we can secure enough wins, so don’t worry!”

The Gods Knights gladiators responded with excited voices. They couldn’t help but be moved, seeing promotion within reach. They held each other’s hands tightly, savoring the moment.

“But it’s not time to relax yet. Although the opponent’s momentum has weakened significantly, they are still more skilled than us. We must never be careless.”

“Yes. I understand!”

Beomseok nodded and gestured for Diana, Remy, and Andrea to come out. He wanted to finalize the list for the 3rd round.

“Diana. How did you decide to organize the squad for the 3rd round?”

“Well. I think the starters should go out this time.”

“What are you talking about? The starters are very tired right now. Aren’t you pushing them too hard?”

“Yes. Master is absolutely right. Anyone who knows about gladiatorial matches, including me, would naturally express concern.”

“But. Why are you suggesting this unconventional strategy?”

Diana said with a calm expression.

“Because the Great Hyenas team will be thinking the same thing. Right now, they have to win all three games to advance to the semi-finals, but it’s physically impossible to have the starters participate in all three remaining rounds. So, in the 3rd round, where our second-tier gladiators are certain to participate, they will try to put in their second-tier. All of their members are professional-level or higher, so objectively, they are far ahead in terms of power compared to our second-tier.”

Indeed, the Gods Knights’ second tier was very weak. All seven reserves were semi-professional, and three of the five starters included were rearguards who rarely participated in combat. Naturally, they would be outmatched by the Great Hyenas’ second tier, composed entirely of Area League professional-level or higher gladiators.

Knowing this, the Great Hyenas would want to use the 2nd tier vs. 2nd tier card at least once, to avoid overworking their starters.

“That’s right. So, you’re saying that we should end the game by sending the starters this round, even if it’s a bit much? Because they’ll expect our 2nd tier to come out again, just like in the 2nd round.”

“Yes. That’s right.”

Beomseok turned his head towards Remy.

“Remy, what do you think?”

“Well. I think it’s not a bad idea. Now that we’ve won the 2nd round first, I think we need to take a risk at least once. If we’re unlucky and the strategy fails, it’s 2 wins and 1 loss. If it succeeds, we’ll advance to the semi-finals right away.”

“Hmm. A risk…”

Beomseok, slurring his words, looked at Andrea.

“Andrea, what do you think? For now, you’re also a coach today, so give me your opinion.”

“Well. I think it would be better to send out the 2nd tier, as Beomseok said. Now that we’ve won 2 games, there’s no need to take a risk. We need to save the starters’ stamina in case something happens.”

“Really? Then it’s 2 to 2. Well, what should we do? Then it’s better to follow the coach’s words. Diana. Go ahead and make the squad as you think.”

Diana nodded readily.

“Yes. I understand.”

Beomseok looked at Andrea again.

“Since Diana is the coach, let’s do as the coach says. Can you understand?”

She made a look of disappointment, as if she couldn’t help it, and nodded.

“Yes. Let’s do that. But Beomseok. Can I ask you a question?”

“Hmm. Go ahead. What is it?”

Andrea, fidgeting with her hands, plucked up her courage and finally opened her mouth.

“Um, how did you defeat the Great Hyenas’ Loria so easily? You said she had a habit, but what is it?”

At that moment, Remy and Diana, who were about to leave, stopped and glared at her. They were angry at the thought that she was being too blatant in her espionage. They were holding back at Beomseok’s command, but it seemed like she was going too far.

He gestured to stop them and looked at Andrea. It was nothing anyway. There was no harm in revealing it.

“Well, it’s not difficult, so I’ll answer you. Loria’s right eye and shoulder shake slightly at a crucial moment. That’s why she was defeated by me in the 1st and 2nd rounds earlier. But since it comes from instinct, it can’t be fixed with short-term effort. In other words, she’s my meal today. Hehehe.”

“Ah. I see. That’s why you won so easily in the previous rounds.”

“Yeah. Then is your question answered?”

“Yes.”

She immediately returned to her seat and looked around. It seemed she was looking for the right moment to send a message. But she couldn’t easily take out her electronic notebook. Beomseok’s ‘elves’ [teammates] were bothering her, perhaps because they found Andrea’s actions annoying.

She had no choice but to leave the dugout under the pretext of going to the bathroom.

‘Heh heh. Keep sending it well. I want to see Loria with a cast on her shoulder and an eye patch on her right eye one day.’

Beomseok, smirking, signaled Diana. It was time to finalize the list of candidates, as the submission deadline was approaching.

In fact, he was thinking that there was no need to play three consecutive rounds, even at the cost of greatly damaging the stamina of the starters, now that he had won 2 games. It would be fortunate if they won, but if they lost due to stamina problems, the damage would be enormous. There was no need to drag the game to a showdown when it could be ended in the main game.

However, he couldn’t allow the Great Hyenas’ main forces to rest for two consecutive rounds. If they didn’t participate in this round, they would clearly have the stamina to play the 4th and 5th rounds in a row. If that were the case, there was a high possibility that they would face their main forces in the final match, which he would naturally not be happy about. No matter how much he could toy with Loria and had Jeremiah on his side, there was no need to face the main forces with fresh stamina, leaving the easy 2nd tier alone.

The best scenario he envisioned was facing the 2nd tier in the 4th round and finishing the game.

“Master. How about this list here?”

Beomseok, looking at the list Diana brought, nodded in agreement. There were a total of 12 people, including 7 candidates and the rearguards Erfina, Venus, and Polia, along with the spearwomen Hera and Remei. It was a lineup suitable for creating a circular formation, with the intention of tiring the opponent through a defensive battle.

“Hmm. It’s okay. However, tell Hera and Remei not to overdo it, as they may have to play a lot in the next round. If you think it’s not going to work, tell them to fall into a state of incapacitation right away and take a good rest.”

“Yes. I understand.”

After she left, Andrea returned after a while. Beomseok, glancing at his watch, knew that the news of her 2nd tier participation would arrive just before the deadline for submitting the list, and kept his mouth shut.

============================ Author’s Note ============================

I tried to touch the Age of Exploration a little bit today, but it keeps pulling me in. Hehehe. I think I’ll have to delete it. I’m not making any progress as it is, but if I play games too… I’m scared.

Then everyone have a good day. I’ll see you again tomorrow.